Scookie Reviews

THE GLASS MAGICIAN by Charlie N. Holmberg 5 stars Verdict : Like book one? You’ll love book 2! #1 - The Paper Magician #3 - The Master Magician Here's the blurb: Three months after returning Magician Emery Thane’s heart to his body, Ceony Twill is well on her way to becoming a Folder. Unfortunately, not all of Ceony’s thoughts have been focused on paper magic. Though she was promised romance by a fortuity box, Ceony still hasn’t broken the teacher-student barrier with Emery, despite their growing closeness. When a magician with a penchant for revenge believes that Ceony possesses a secret, he vows to discover it…even if it tears apart the very fabric of their magical world. After a series of attacks target Ceony and catch those she holds most dear in the crossfire, Ceony knows she must find the true limits of her powers…and keep her knowledge from falling into wayward hands. I loved the first book and found it a charming read, but it did have various flaws that mean...

Done! Finito! Fini! At midday I managed to complete the NaNoWri over a week early. Last week I realised I was well on schedule to complete it in time, and so I decided to push real hard to make sure I was definitely going to win. Here are the top three things that helped me the most: Planning. I had the idea for this three years ago, and it's been on my mind ever since. I knew the character, I knew the plot, I knew the subplots, and I knew where my problems were going to be. I had all that ironed out before November even started so that I could just keep writing. I didn't focus on the word count, I focused on getting the story as complete as possible and managed to get well ahead of my word count. It's hard to play catch up later and I knew I wanted to win this year, so I downsized my procrastination and made sure I wrote nearly every day. Knowing that my blog was inspiring others to have a go at the NaNoWriMo also spurred me along even further. I have a com...

THE PAPER MAGICIAN by Charlie N. Holmberg 4 stars Verdict: For anyone who enjoys fantasy. Very versatile! #2 - The Glass Magician #3 - The Master Magician Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic…forever. Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined—animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic. An Excisioner—a practitioner of dark, flesh magic—invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician a...

I’m holding a self-publishing month on my blog December 2014 and want as many writers as possible to get involved. I will be hosting a self-published book giveaway , author interviews , guest posts , and a few  book reviews . I know how hard it can be to start promoting a novel and want to provide some exposure for those who believe in their writing. I will be advertising this event on social media and encourage others to do the same! What can I do? I’m looking for interviewees as well as anyone who would like to do a guest blog post on anything related to writing. Articles should be between 500 to 1500 words long and may take a few rounds of editing first so please send them to me ASAP - 7th December at the absolute latest. Great! How can I get involved? Please follow my blog first so that I know you're truly interested and want to support others in the event too. Next use the contact form on the right-hand side starting with the phrase ‘December Self-publishing Fest’ . ...

By now, you should have around 15,000 words if everything has gone according to schedule. If you’re writing in chronological order, then you should already have some key scenes and the majority of the blurb underway. If your writing the important scenes first, you might have the structure of the entire novel waiting for the blanks to be filled in and the scenes to be linked up. Whatever your writing, here are a few more tips and tricks, good things to know, and great other articles to read. If it’s your first book For those of you still dreaming of publishing, you should be aware that it is easier to sell a short book than a long one. If it looks like your novel will be over 100,000 words, then it will be more difficult for you to grab an agent or publisher. That in mind, if you reach your 50,000 word limit, you’ll end up with well over half your novel complete. That will make it so much easier to finish. If you’re writing middle grade or young adult fiction 50,000 words i...

PEACE AND CONFLICT by Irene Sabatini 4 stars Verdict: For adults and older teens with a taste of a Zimbabwean culture. The story of a young boy's adventures as he takes it upon himself to solve the mystery of an 'evil' old neighbour in Geneva, and a missing auntie in Zimbabwe. Charming, funny and resonant, this is a novel about how one boy comes to understand what conflict can do to a person, a family, a whole country - and what it means to fight for peace. It’s a fresh breath of Zimbabwean air, breathed through a ten year old boy growing up in Geneva, Switzerland... that’s a slightly confusing metaphor. What I mean is that it struck me as unique in more ways than one. We see the world through Robert, a ten year old boy with an inquisitive mind. I’ve forced myself through books before which use the narrative to reflect a child's stream of consciousness and found the situation akin to a hyperactive child yapping in your ear non-stop for hours on end. Sabatini...

It’s that time of year. Writers, prepare to type until your fingers drop off, preferably after you reach the 50,000 word goal limit. It might seem like a stretch right now, but think about how you’ll feel next week! Yes, it’s time once more for the National Novel Writing Month . We’re on day three already, but there’s still time to join in. The goal is to write 50,000 words in the month of November. That’s about 1,666 words a day, and it’s got the sign of the devil in the numbers for a reason: it is super hard. This is my fifth year at writing, and I have a few bits and pieces which may help you along your way. Before you even start, don’t plan on querying agents with your NaNoWriMo novel in December. Or January . Probably not February either – just don’t so it. Trust me, it won’t be ready. Agents are on the lookout for rushed writing this time of year and they will spot you and drop you.  One you get into flow , keep going. And you don’t have to write in chronological or...